Rocky Mountain Wedding (8 page)

Stephanie glanced up at her daughter. “Go find her friends.”

“Paige and Avery,” she called as the girl hurried away.

“Do you want me to call your husband?” the woman asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “No. Please. He has to keep searching for Brookie.” If they called him, he would come. And Brookie needed him more than she did. Panting against the waves of pain, she pulled her knees into her chest.

“Oh, honey,” the woman murmured. “Should I call an ambulance?”

“No.” God, no. Paige and Avery could get her to the ER. “I'll be fine. Maybe just some water.” She was so thirsty. When was the last time she'd even had anything to drink?

“Of course.” Stephanie shot to her feet and disappeared right as Paige and Avery sprinted up the walkway.

“What happened?” Avery cried, dropping to her knees next to Ruby.

“Are you okay?” Paige shrieked, panic rising in her eyes.

“Cramps,” Ruby managed. She slung an arm around her belly.

“Oh no,” Avery whispered.

“Is that bad?” she asked her friend, the cold fear she'd felt all morning icing her over again.

“No,” Paige insisted, glaring at Avery. “Everything's fine. The baby's fine.”

“I'll call Bryce and have him find Sawyer,” Avery said, already going for her phone.

“No,” Ruby nearly shouted. “He can't stop searching. Not now. Not until they find her.”

“But…don't you want him with you?” Avery demanded.

Yes. More than anything. She always wanted Sawyer with her. But once he heard about the baby, all he would want to do is be by her side, and their daughter needed him more right now. “I have you two,” she said, trying to smile. “That'll do.” Until they knew what they were dealing with. “Like you said, everything is fine.” She glanced at Paige for a shot of the woman's confident encouragement. Lord knew she needed it right now.

“That's right,” Paige declared with a definitive nod. “Everything will be fine.”

That's what Ruby was counting on.

S
awyer tried not to glare at the gas station owner, but that was quite the challenge. “So you're telling me a little girl came in here at six this morning—
alone
—and bought a package of powdered doughnuts and you didn't think it was strange?”

“She told me her parents were waiting outside,” he shot back, standing at full height as though telling Sawyer to back off. He was a big guy, tall and bulky, skin inked like a badass, but Sawyer had adrenaline on his side.

“And you didn't think to glance outside and check?” He stepped up to the guy, fully knowing his anger was misplaced but not caring enough to harness it.

“What'd you want from me? This is Aspen. Not Denver.”

Exactly. Things like this shouldn't happen here. To a family that was just starting out, to parents who've waited so long for children.

“Enough, Sawyer.” Bryce pulled him away.

“Thanks for the info,” Ben said to the gas station owner. “We appreciate it.”

His friends formed a barrier around him, giving him no choice but to go outside. In front of the glass, he paced, trying to relieve the pressure. If Brookie had been here at six, that meant she'd already been gone an hour and a half by the time they'd discovered she was missing. The gas station sat on the very western edge of the town, which meant she'd either continued on down the highway or headed up into the mountains. Neither scenario calmed him.

While he paced, his friends stood in a circle, trading theories.

“Wouldn't she go somewhere she was familiar with? Somewhere comfortable?” Isaac asked.

That stopped Sawyer cold.

“I mean, she's only eight. If they didn't find her at the airport or the bus station trying to get out of town, maybe she went someplace she knows.”

Someplace she knew. Someplace comfortable. “The ranch.” God, why hadn't he thought to search there in the first place? He looked at Bryce. “Did you see anything before you took off this morning? Her bike?”

A look of sudden understanding dawned on his cousin's face. “I didn't see anything, but I couldn't find Moose before we left. We were in a hurry, so I didn't worry too much about it…”

Moose, Bryce's massive Bernese mountain dog was missing. Brookie was missing. And those two loved each other.

Sawyer took off running for his SUV. “We have to search the ranch.” It wouldn't have taken long for Brookie to get there after the gas station. It wasn't more than three miles up the road.

They all climbed into the car, huffing and out of breath.

“I should've looked around before we left,” Bryce said. “I didn't think she could get all the way to the ranch by herself.”

Sawyer jammed the key into the ignition and started the engine. “You'd be surprised what she can do when she's determined.” The girl had learned how to fend for herself. That would be her greatest strength someday, but it could also hurt her. She had to learn to let people in, to let people help her. She had to learn how to depend on other people just like he did.

Flicking on the lights and siren, he tore out of the gas station parking lot.

“When we get there, Isaac and I'll search the lodge,” Ben offered. “You two know the grounds much better.”

“And I'll text Thomas and tell him to bring the search party to the ranch,” Bryce added.

“Thanks.” Hope soared through him for the first time in what felt like a dark eternity. “I should call Ruby,” he said, digging out his phone. He hit the speed dial and braced it against his ear, maneuvering around the cars that pulled over.

It rang until finally her voice mail picked up.

“Can you try Avery?” he asked his cousin. He had to tell her they'd found a real lead, that they were getting closer.

Bryce called his wife and clicked on the speaker. “Hey, babe. You know where Ruby is?”

There was a long pause.

“Um. Yeah. I'm with her,” she finally said.

“Tell her we've got a lead,” Bryce said. “We're heading out to search the ranch. We think she might be there somewhere. That she might be with Moose.”

“Oh. Good. That's great,” Avery answered in an uncharacteristic monotone.

Sawyer and Bryce exchanged a look. She should've been ecstatic.

“Everything all right?” Bryce asked her.

“Yep!” Now Sawyer detected too much enthusiasm.

Something wasn't right. Sawyer held out his hand. “Let me talk to Ruby.”

“Um. Now's not a good time.”

“What?” Sawyer demanded. What the hell did that mean? He snatched the phone away and took it off speaker. “Look, Avery. I need to talk to Ruby. Put her on the phone. Please,” he added before she hung up on him.

“S-he…um…well…c-can't talk right now,” Avery stuttered.

“Why the hell not?” Sawyer was done being polite. Their daughter was missing and she couldn't talk to him right now?

“She's…in the restroom.”

“Oh.” Why hadn't she told him that in the first place? “Have her call me, then. The second she can.”

“Of course,” Avery said quickly. “I have to go. She'll call soon.” The phone clicked. He tossed it back to Bryce.

“Everything okay?” Isaac asked, leaning between the seats.

“That was weird,” he said. He couldn't get Avery's shaky tone out of his head. “Something's up. She was acting strange.”

“Yeah, she didn't sound normal,” Bryce agreed.

“Want me to call Paige?” Ben asked.

“Nah. Ruby'll tell me what's going on when she calls me back.” She wasn't the kind of person to keep things from him. Back when they'd first met, she'd kept everything from him, but since then he'd earned her trust. He may have royally screwed up earlier, but he would make it up to her. Gunning the engine, he raced to the ranch's driveway.

“Let's go find our little girl.”

“Bryce called me,” Avery announced as she barged into the closet-like ER exam room.

Ruby shifted, trying to get herself comfortable. Once they'd found out she was pregnant, they'd whisked her to a room faster than a hot knife could cut through butter. Since then nurses had been in and out, fussing over her, forcing her to change into one of those hospital gowns.

Generous, the term “gown.” It was more like a small square of cotton that flapped open in the back every time she moved.

She smoothed the blanket over her legs, grateful for the extra coverage. “You didn't tell him anything, did you?”

“Of course not. But I'm such a bad liar. He has to know something's up.”

That was true. The woman told her husband everything. Every. Thing. She should've told Avery not to answer her phone.

Avery crossed the room and sat in the chair next to the gurney. “They said they have a lead on Brookie, though.”

A bolt of hope struck her chest. “What? Where? Where is she?”

“They think she might be somewhere around the ranch.”

“The ranch?” Could she have been eight miles away from home this whole time?

“We couldn't find Moose before we left,” Avery explained. “I let him out at five when I woke up with Lily. But then we all went back to bed until Elsie called.”

“You think Moose is with her?” Huge tears bubbled up and spilled over. That meant Brookie wasn't alone. Moose would protect her. He would watch out for her. “Oh my God.” She let her head fall back against the pillow. “That's such good news. So they're there now? Looking for her?”

“That's where they were headed when he called.” Avery breathed out a sigh. “I really think you need to tell Sawyer what's going on,” she said quietly. “He deserves to know. And I told him you would call him back.”

“No.” She rested a hand on her belly, massaging gently, trying to quiet the ache. “I'm not telling him yet. We don't even know what we're dealing with.” But she refused to consider the possibility that the baby was in trouble. The nurse had already come in to interview her; then she'd taken her vitals and found the baby's heartbeat. Oh, that sound! It was the pounding of life and hope, and it had beaten into her own body, strengthening her heart. She had yet to see the doctor, but that sound—that soft little pulsing had stayed with her, replaying over and over. The music of life. Everything would be okay. The baby was healthy. Sawyer was about to find Brookie. She had to believe that.

“My God, trying to find coffee around this joint is like searching for the Holy Grail,” Paige complained on her way back into the room. She must've been gone for twenty minutes on her quest for a caffeine fix.

“So what'd I miss?” She plopped down on the bed next to Ruby.

“They think Brookie is at the ranch.” She squirmed again, breathing shallowly through another hollow pounding in her abdomen. “They're there looking for her.” She should be out there, too. The ranch had thousands of acres. They'd need a whole search party to help…

“Really?” Paige leaned in and hugged her neck. “That's great news. Oh God. I hope she's there.”

“I talked to Bryce,” Avery informed Paige. “And I'm pretty sure he could tell there's a crisis.”

“You let her talk to Bryce?” Her friend whapped her shoulder. “Are you kidding? The woman who can't keep a secret to save her life?”

“I didn't know who was on the phone when she stepped out to answer it.” Otherwise, you can bet she would've stolen the damn thing and thrown it out the window. The last thing Sawyer needed was something to divert his focus when they were so close to finding Brookie.

“I'm not good at keeping things from my husband, okay?” Avery gave them her best glare, but Ruby could still see the shadow of her friendly smile. “You act like that's a bad thi—”

The door busted open. In charged Elsie, followed by Julia, who was giving Lily a ride on her wheelchair.

“Ruby!” Elsie gushed, scurrying right for the gurney. “Oh, my dear girl. I can't believe this. Are you in pain?”

“I'm okay.” Instead of sharp, shooting pains, the discomfort had eased into more of an intermittent cramping. Still uncomfortable, but getting better.

“Well, what is it? What's wrong?” Elsie demanded, her gaze bouncing first to Ruby, then to Avery, then to Paige.

“No doctor yet,” Paige answered for her.

“What?” The woman pinned her hands to her hips, which somehow made her seem taller. “Whyever not?”

“ERs are notorious for taking forever,” Julia said, spinning her chair in circles to make Lily giggle.

But Elsie looked downright offended. “Well, that's ridiculous. You're expecting a baby, for heaven's sakes! They need to get on this.” She stalked to the door. “Don't you worry, dear. I'll take care of this right now.”

“That's okay. I—”

But Elsie left the room in a cloud of obvious disgust. The woman's tenacity made her smile. She should know better. Never try to stop Elsie when she's on a mission.

“So now that they have a lead on Brookie, is Sawyer on his way?” Julia asked, wheeling herself closer to the bed.

“No. He doesn't know.” Ruby extended her arms, and Julia helped Lily climb up onto the mattress. Ruby pulled the girl in close, inhaling that powdery, baby-fresh scent. “And no one's going to tell him, either.” She shot Paige and Avery a look. “Not until Brookie is found.”

“Understood.” Julia slipped her hand into Ruby's and squeezed. “From what I hear, they're gonna find her real soon.”

Her throat started to close up again, so she simply nodded and buried her nose in Lily's soft hair. God, she couldn't wait to hold Brookie. Couldn't wait to hold her and Sawyer's sweet baby in her arms.

“Not to worry, dear.” Elsie paraded back into the room, the beaming smile on her face indicating that she'd accomplished her mission. “I've found the best doctor in the business.”

Meg Carlson, a longtime friend of the Walker family, followed Elsie into the room. Ruby had met her a handful of times at various events, but she'd never really talked to her.

“So I hear I'm late,” Meg said with her friendly smile.

Ruby's face heated. “No. I mean,
I
wasn't complaining.”

“Don't worry about it.” The woman rolled over a stool and sat. “We're always late around here. But I did take time to read through your chart.” She held up a clipboard.

Ruby braced herself. “Do you know why would I be cramping?”

“Not yet,” she said, but she quickly reinstated her smile. “It could be a variety of different things.” Her eyes scanned Ruby's check-in papers again. “During pregnancy, your body is undergoing a ton of changes. So it could be muscle related. Everything is stretching out a bit. Your body's trying to make room.” She flipped the chart to the next page. “And I see the nurse wrote down that you haven't had anything to eat or drink yet today.”

“No. I haven't been able to…” Instead of explaining the situation again, she let the words trail off.

“Elsie filled me in,” Meg said sympathetically. “I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you're going through.”

“Thanks.” Ruby glanced at the clock over her shoulder. Almost noon. Brookie had been gone at least five hours…

“So the problem with not eating or drinking during pregnancy is that dehydration can also cause cramping. It's important to take care of yourself. That's the best way to take care of the baby.”

“So that's all it is, then?” Elsie asked, hands clasped hopefully in front of her chest. “Dehydration?”

“Hopefully.” Meg stood. “But with your history, I'm concerned enough to run some tests. I'd like to start with some blood work. And I'll call your OB and see if he'd like us to do an ultrasound.”

Ruby nodded. “Yes. Anything.” Anything to make sure this baby was completely healthy.